Adoption
by IAmNotAUnicorn-ImBetter
Summary: Bruce Wayne adopts Richard (Dick) Grayson.


This isn't my idea but I wanted to do it. So I don't know how everything goes and the storyline is probably out of order but...on with the show! ;)

"Okay Dick, slow down a little," Richard's mother chuckled as she called out from behind him as he did summer salts and cartwheels toward the main circus tent. Dick was eight years old, but even at the age of eight Dick was small. He had black hair and blue eyes. But best of it all he was full of adventure and excitement that you could see in those bright blue eyes.

"I'm telling you Mary, we need a leash for him," John suggested. John also had black hair and was well built. You kinda had to if you were an acrobat. You had to be able to support your weight and another person or people.

"John..." Mary said rolling her green eyes with a smirk. She shook her head back and forth, trying not to face palm. Her blondish orange hair was in a bun and she was holding John's hand as they walked to the main tent.

The tent was red with different colored stripes coming from the top. It had two entrances and exits, where costumers would buy tickets and the children would ask their mom's and dad's to buy them cotton candy.

John saw Dick stop in front of the tent, just peering in. Dick's expression showed curiosity and worry. John released Mary's hand as he glanced a look at her and ran to Dick. Harely Pop stood in the middle with a couple of people in front of him. One was in front, smoking a cigarette and the others behind him. They were all buff and well built, showing they could fight. The man smoking, was wearing baggy pants and a white shirt. The tent smelled like cigarette now, because of him that made Dick realize that they must have been talking for some time now. The man saw the people looking in, and stood with a confident posture and expression. It was wrong. His smile and his attitude. Something wasn't right. John stood in front of his Dick and his wife, like a shield if something went wrong.

"All were asking is..._protection money_," the man smoking the cigarette said with a slie smile. He gestured to his friends, like they were all the protection in the world.

"Were not giving you anything," replied Harely. He stood there with a hand on his hip, eye's cold and hard putting on a brave show. That meant that something was defiantly wrong. Dick needed to do something.

"Oh, yes you are, your gonna need protection around here."

They bickered for awhile. Dick could see the man losing patience.

"Like I said before, your not getting anything from us."

"Oh yeah? Who is gonna stop us?" Now angry.

"I called the police five minutes ago," said Dick as he held up a cellphone with a smirk. He did do something.

"Why you little brat-" Out of now where a black bat flew down and kicked the man with the cigarette. The man pulled out a knife from his pocket but Batman kicked it out of his hands. The man tried taking on the Bat failed miserably, only getting bruises that's gonna hurt like heck in the morning, taking defeat he said,

"Your not gonna get away with this," he said as he and his henchmen ran out of the tent and into the distance. Before anyone could thank Batman, he was gone.

.o0o.

"Lady's and Gentlemen, may I proudly present, The, Flying, GRRAAYYSSOONNNS!" Harley Pop threw his right hand presenting the Grayson Family. The audience clapped including billionaire Bruce Wayne with his date. Bruce Wayne was kindly here for charity reason and the whole circus was really pleased to know he wanted to help.

John and Mary Grayson, and their son, Richard John Grayson, were on the top of the platform, getting ready to preform.

.o0o.

"Hurry up! Their going to preform!"

"Okay Boss, almost done." One of the henchmen said as he poured acid on the trapeze wires.

"Is it done?"

"Yea."

"Let's get down and enjoy the show, I but it's gonna be a real _fall_out," he said with a smirk as he took the cigarette out of his mouth and blew a cloud of white smoke into the air.

.o0o.

Dick jumps back on the platform, letting his parents perform alone. The spun and twirled together as the audience clapped for each stunt and trick that could only be seen once in a life time. Spinning and twirling and spinning and twirling until...

SNAP

Dick saw it in slow motion. The wire snapping. The sound. He reached out for his mother's hand. She did the same. Their hands were inches away. Their hands passed each other.

"Richard!"

"Mom!"

Dick fell to his knees. Their bodies got smaller and smaller. Until they hit. The whole crowd gasped and stood. Dick didn't care. His hand was still out, waiting for his mothers and he knew it would never hold it. He gripped the side of the platform, for balance and comfort. Looking down, their lifeless bodies with pools of blood around them. Their faces. His mother's open mouth, like it was suppressing a scream. Both of their eyes, blood shot with pupils small. Tears came to his eyes as his mouth hung open. His right hand twitched as he waited for his mother's, and now, he was for sure it would never hold his hand again. He was losing sanity. He would never see them again. Everything else that happened, it happened in a blur.

He remembered getting down. He remembered sitting down on a bench outside of the tent. The policemen crowded the tent, getting witnesses statements and calming people down. He remembered seeing Bruce Wayne talking to them. Dick hung his head down low, where he could hide his emotions. He just stared at his feet. He remembered seeing Bruce Wayne look at him a couple of times, but it wasn't fear, pity or terror, it was understanding.

Bruce Wayne came and put a hand on the boy's shoulder and Dick looked up. Their eye's meet, so Bruce could finally see what the boy looked like up closed. His eye's were rimmed with red and bags hung under his eyes, from a long night of crying.

After a quick glance, Dick looked down again but instead of Mr. Wayne removing his hand he kept it there and he bent down to Dick's eye level. Dick looked at he him and their eye's locked once again. He didn't know how much time had passed but the man looked at him, like he was waiting for something awesome or epic to happen. Well... it didn't. Dick started to feel uncomfortable from the glaze and tried to avoid eye contact which was pretty hard when some stranger you don't know has his hand on you shoulder and and is five inches from your face staring at your eyes. He finally got up, Dick mentally sighed in relief, and he went over to Commissioner Gorden.

Mr. Wayne talked to not only Commissioner Gorden, but a talk old man wearing...a suit? He had his hands together behind his back, head held high, chest puffed out a little and he was even wearing white gloves, and people call the circus weird. He was slightly blade and the hair he did have was combed over and was pale white color. He too also took some looks at him, but just like Bruce Wayne, it wasn't fear, pity or terror, it was understanding.

Then there was some lady in another dress suit thing. Dick didn't know what it was. She had black glasses with her hair up in a bun like a waitress. She had a pointed nose and green eyes. She was wearing a gray skirt and also like a mini-tux in the front. It had black buttons and white, puffy fabric coming out from her chest area like those people his mom made him read when they were learning history. Like George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. They wore clothing that had those things on them but only they rapped around their necks. Maybe that was now in style.

She kept looking at her folder, flipping through pages like she was looking through a dictionary. She would slow down when she was getting close, then finally put her finger on the page to guide her and keep slowing down until she found what she wanted. She too looked at Dick. But what he saw in her eye's scared him. She was hungry, she craved something, not from Dick but from , she was hungry for money. Dick betted that's why she got the job, so she could rob people out of their money.

The four people still talked and glanced even more looks at Dick. He didn't know what he was feeling, anger? Self-conciuos because they kept looking at him? Fear? He didn't know. He was an emotional mess, part of him saying that this is all a nightmare and your going to wake up, and the other part saying this was real. He wanted to believe it was a nightmare, but deep down, some where inside he knew even if he tried to pinch himself, it would only hurt and he wouldn't wake up.

Tired, and cold and suddenly hungry, Dick felt weak. He wanted his all to end. His eye's became to heavy to kept open and his body relaxed. He saw Bruce Wayne take a few worried looks like he knew something bad was going to happened but Dick ignored him. His mouth was slightly ajar and his left hand was on his left thigh and he finally let the darkness win, from emotional stress and mental stress but he didn't realize what would meet him in his dreams.

.o0o.

He was met with a nightmare. Dick never had a nightmare in his life so this was new. His mother's blond hair blew in the wind and his father's the same. They were just holding hands staring at the distance. The grassy meadow beneath them blew with the wind also, it felt...so..._peaceful_. It felt nice. Like they never died. Like they could be a family again. Like they could have no fears and fly once again. Dick wanted this to last forever, this feeling. It was so nice. So Dick walked towards them. He reached his hands out and finally he was at a full ran.

"Mom!"

"Dad!"

He cried their names in excitement. After their passing he was running on adrenaline, now it was excitement. He didn't realize he had tears falling down his face, but they were good tears, happy tears. His eyebrows raised and mushed together and he put on a sheepish smile, but it was a true smile where you could see his white teeth that his mother made him brush after every meal. He had to if you knew what was good for you. Suddenly he realized he wasn't getting anywhere. He was just running in place. His feet brushed the grass and he realized he was bear foot. But it brushed the grass in the same place. As good as it felt, he wanted to see his parents. After all he was only eight.

He only ran harder and they started to get farther away. It was like he was running away from them only running forward. They weren't running away they just stood their until the scene changed.

He recognized it immediately. But it happened so fast. He was back at the main tent on the platform. But he couldn't move. The grassy meadow was gone and his parents bodies flipped so they could face him and they started to fall-again. The second time he knew what was going to happen. His mother's hand reached for his and he tried to grab it, but failed.

"Dick!"

He couldn't response. The first was enough. His body started shaking and tears fell from his eyes. His pupils were small and they hadn't even hit yet. _Yet._ He reached a shaky hand waiting, just like the first time.

CRACK

His pupils got even smaller if that was possible. He froze. What was that cracking sound? He never heard that before but he didn't have to ask himself that. He all ready knew. It was the sound of their bodies, hitting and ground and breaking. Their bones crushed because gravity had to pull them down. Why didn't he hear it the first time? His body was shaking even more his pupils even smaller as he tried to breathe. His mouth was slightly ajar and he only felt his warm breath come out. He wanted to call their names, he wanted to hug them. He would never complain about going to bed at eight thirty or brushing his teeth after every meal. He would never get the chance to. He felt sick to his stomach. He sweating and his body was twitching like he was ready to go in shock or spase out. The neasua and dizziness he was feeling, looking at their lifeless bodies floating in their own pools of blood. As much as he wanted to look away, he couldn't. He just couldn't. In all of this despair he felt something shake his shoulder slightly. Then a little harder. He couldn't move, he couldn't think. It happened once again and he was finally out of this nightmare.

.o0o.

His eyes flutter and he was finally awake. Four faces looked at him. Bruce Wayne was next to him, with a worried expression but with compassion. The old man was to the left of him. He had the same expression. The lady was in front of him same as the commissioner. The lady looked a little worried, maybe because Bruce Wayne wasn't paying any attention to her. But her expression still wasn't pleasant or pleasing at all. That lady was scary. No exaggeration there. The commission was worried to. At least it wasn't a fake worried look like the lady with the weird nose next to him.

"You okay?" The voice drawed him back to Bruce Wayne. He man's blue eye's reached his but not only that but his whole body. Dick couldn't help but follow his look. His right hand was twitching along with his body shaking a little. He felt sweat roll down his face and breathing was shaky and ragged. He wished his mom was here. She know what to do. He only nodded his head. Mr. Wayne nodded his head and gave him another look in the eyes and stood but kept his hand on his shoulder.

"Alright, it's decided. I'll take custody for him."

Dick didn't feel anything. He should have been happy that a billionaire was taking him in, where he could buy him all the toys and clothes he wanted. Also to go out to eat like every night at the fanciest and most expensive restaurants ever. Bruce Wayne was know nationally for his wealth and his company.

The old man gave an encouraging smile to and Bruce only smiled back. How could they be so happy? The lady gave him a creepy smile. It was a really really really creepy smile. And it was real. That's what scared Dick the most.

"Alfred, get the limo."

"Of course, sir."

'Alfred', as called him put his hands at his sides and walked off to do his task. and the commissioner talked but the lady stayed next to him. She looked in his eye's and knelt down to his eye level just like Mr. Wayne had.

"Aren't you happy? You get to live with the richest man in the world!," her mood suddenly changed into a ecstatic one. Her voice was musical but in a way, very deep and depressed.

Of course she was. She was going to get money. Some how Dick knew this lady only wanted money. From the first time he looked into her eye's, she only wanted money. She was putting on a very nice act.

"The limo is ready Master Bruce."

What the heck?, Dick thought. Dick mentally laughed at that. _Master _Bruce. What was this 'Alfred' person anyway. A slave? or a servant? That's pretty sad.

"Richard," spoke the commissioner, "Do you have anything you want to get out of your trailer?"

Nice wording, jerk, Dick thought. _Your_ trailer. But deep down, Dick knew he was only trying to help.

"I wonder if he has anything to even bring with him. I know the circus is a cruddy business and I bet they didn't have a lot of money."

Dick got up. Everyone watched him. He started walking towards the family's trailer. But to Dick's surprised Mr. Wayne started to follow him. It bugged Dick and it didn't. He wasn't happy that the man would see how poor he really was but he was happy that he wasn't going to be alone.

The trailer was small. It had a Queen sized bed on one side and the other had a twin, which where Dick slept. In the middle it had a little counter that was made of wood and underneath it had matching cabinet's and drawer's. Dick went to the one that was on the right. He opened the drawer that was the smallest. Mr. Wayne waited outside of the trailer but at the door so he could see it. His eye's went to the left then to the right until Richard. Dick looked down until he remembered that he had a sports bag he could put his things into. He walked to the left side of the trailer, with didn't that long because the trailer is so small, and in a different drawer he pulled a blue bag with a long zipper that zipped all the way across it. Dick hated the color blue but this was all he had. Picking it up, eyed it suspiciously.

"Is that your suitcase?"

The question took Dick by surprise and he froze and looked at Mr. Wayne. He only nodded his head. Mr. Wayne nodded his head in agreement.

Dick started packing his clothes, he kept wondering what was wrong with this guy. Around the other people he was always smiling and happy but now that he wasn't around them he seemed depressed and angry. It kinda scared Dick knowing that this man was letting him stay with him. Not only that, he was well built. You didn't need super powers to see that one. He could easily crush a eight year old...

Dick shivered at the thought. Maybe he should be afraid of this man. When he finished packing his clothes he zipped the bag and stood. Mr. Wayne nodded and he started to walk off and Richard followed. He thought he was forgetting something but then again maybe he wasn't.

.o0o.

"You can go in first," told Richard. Richard got into the black limo. The seats were made of fine leather and were really comfortable. Mr. Wayne got next to him on the other side and sat with hands on his lap waiting to go. Alfred was kind enough to put his "suitcase" in the back. Mr. Wayne cleared the silence.

"If you want to talk about it you can talk about it."

That's all he said. Richard knew he was missing something. Something important. The eight year old kept wondering what it was. Alfred started up the limo and soon they were driving. It hit Dick like a slap on the cheek. He was missing Peanut. Peanut was the stuff animal elephant that his mother made him. He needed Peanut. He looked at Mr. Wayne. Maybe he could ask him to stop the limo. Richard felt like crying. He really wanted Peanut.

Richard looked outside of the limo. He put his hand on the handle to heave himself up for a better look. They were only a block away from the fair grounds. Still looking outside he grabbed the handle more harder and moved his feet on the seat. Mr. Wayne was to busy reading the newspaper to notice him anyway.

Then the trailer came into the view. He pulled the handle back and _click._ The seat belt came undone. Richard fell face first out of the car.

.o0o.

Richard was on the pavement and his knees hurt and his hands. He shook his head and looked to his right. The limo halted to a stop with screech. He saw Mr. Wayne get out and start coming towards him. Dick decided that this was his only chance to get Peanut. So he ran to the fairgrounds.

"Richard!"

He kept running. His knees hurt really bad now. Finally he got to the trailer and he didn't think anyone saw him. He decided to look down. His knees were covered in gravel and red sticky warm stuff. He didn't know what it was. He guessed it was maybe paint. He was only eight years old. His pants were ruined, stained by grass and by "paint." He had seen blood before, especially today but maybe because he was just being eight he didn't know any better. But he needed to find Peanut. Walking in he looked around and he finally found Peanut on his bed. He had different colored dots on him but for the most part he was a dirty off-white. He used to be a bright white but he was old but loved very well. Richard smiled as he picked him. He hugged him in a tight hug like all of his guts could come out. He just kept smiling.

"Richard!" That was Commissioner Gordon's voice. Uh-oh...

"Master Richard!"

Richard turned around at the sound of the voice. He saw the old man gasp.

"My!..."he was speechless.

"Are you alright lad? Here." Commissioner picked him up and placed him on the counter.

"Alfred, don't you carry a first aid kit with you?"

"Indeed so, I will retrieve it immediately." Alfred once again walked off to do his task.

"Richard!" Mr. Wayne and that other lady said together. They both jogged up to him and stopped dead in their tracks.

"What happened?"

"I don't know Mrs. Red."

Mrs. Red looked at Mr. Wayne. "What did happened, look," she pointed towards Dick's knees "he's bleeding like crazy!"

That's all it took to make Dick snap.

"What! I'wm blweeding?" Richard asked in a panic whisper. It only made him grab Peanut harder.

"It's okay, Alfred will be back with the first aid kit soo-or here he comes now."

Alfred cleaned the wounds with a little wet cloth which Richard would wince once and a while which everyone was staring at him so he couldn't hide it. He wrapped them with white bandages and tightened them together so they wouldn't get lose.

"Alright, It appears I have finished."

Alfred backed up and finally Commissioner Gordon spoke.

"Why you run off, lad?"

Richard only looked down. Commissioner sighed.

"Alright, it's getting late, we should go head to our homes."

Everyone agreed. When Commissioner and Mrs. Red left Bruce knelt down to Dick so their eye's were making contact again but this time Mr. Wayne smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Chum, if you need to tell me anything, you always can."

With this Mr. Wayne still smiled and took Richard hand and started to walk to the limo. Maybe this wasn't that bad after all.


End file.
